Blackberry Jalapeño Chia Jam, Cayenne Mocha Latte

I just love a good jam. I’m more of a dark fruit jam person, I don’t like it too sweet. This is my second batch of this blackberry jalapeño chia jam and I’ve been putting it on everything. Last night I put it on baguette with goat cheese and prosciutto — too good to grab my phone for a pic.

Today, it’s blackberry jalapeño chia jam on avocado toast with fresh basil and a fried egg. And it is good. Sweetened with only a tbsp of raw honey and/or date syrup (stay tuned for recipe!) you can eat this jam all day long and not feel bad about it. Actually, you can even feel good about it. Those cute little chia seeds pack a nutritional punch.

I won’t be able to help you when you can’t stop smothering it all over bread and cheese and prosciutto, though.

You can make this jam with any kind of fruit and it is seriously so easy. Cook down your fruit in a saucepan, mashing it along the way, with some finely minced jalepeño and a natural sweetener. Mix in chia seeds and you’ve got a superfood jam with some seriously sweet heat.

This jam with sliced, creamy avocado and a runny fried egg was the perfect lunch on this rainy day here in Florida.

I love when it rains. It cools things off for a little here in Florida when it rains.. aaaand then all that extra humidity kicks in. Oh, you went to check the mail real quick? Forgot something in your car? Now you have to take a shower.

Let’s talk about this latte — inspired by my weekend retreat. I’m going to Orlando for a girls shopping-wine-coffee-more wine-getaway and Friday cannot come faster. We studied abroad in Italy together years ago, and every year we take a trip.

Since we are appertivo-holics, we like to scope out the area beforehand so we know where we want to go. Once coffee shop downtown, called Artisan Latte, boasts an interesting coffee bar and small meals. I saw an espresso drink with chocolate and cayenne pepper on the menu and I just couldn’t wait any longer so I made it at home first!!!!

I know — those exclamation marks were a little excessive. I made a double shot.

Yum. I love it. I melt a little dark chocolate at the bottom of my mug, brew my espresso, and sprinkle a little cayenne on top. It was perfect with the toast.

I am kind of a coffee snob. Okay, that was a little bit of an understatement. I will not disclose how much I spent on my Breville Barista Express espresso machine. I am obsessed.

You could really make this with any cup of coffee or espresso and you could also experiment with any flavor — I just figured I would share today’s latte. Mm maybe hazelnut tomorrow. I can’t wait to show you guys my date syrup. Can use that as a natural sweetener for your coffee, too!

Look at that shot. I just want one all day long. A never-ending latte. YES. How do we invent that?

Yeah — that’s chocolate at the bottom. You don’t even need that much! Place some chocolate at the bottom of your mug and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds before brewing.

I use Blue Bottle Coffee for the freshest espresso beans. I know it sounds neurotic and crazy but I just can’t go back now. I love that they deliver a pound of espresso beans that were roasted just two days earlier to my door every 3 weeks and it’s totally affordable. It would also be a great gift! I wish I could say that Blue Bottle sponsored this post but that would mean that I got paid for doing this. Dream life.

Happy Monday.

Blackberry Jalapeño Chia Jam

1 1/2 cup blackberries

1 tbsp raw honey or natural sweetener

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 sliced, seeded and chopped jalapeño

Combine all ingredients except chia seeds in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mash berries periodically and stir often to prevent burning. After about 5 minutes, stir in chia seeds. Simmer for 15 minutes or until as jammy as you like it. You may need to add in a tsp of water from time to time if it needs more liquid — the chia seeds will soak it up.